Of deadlines, fees and political tactics

A deadline, a fee, a tie vote and a non-controversial bill that all of a sudden turned controversial sparked some unusual legislative game-playing in the House of Delegates Tuesday.

The deadline was Crossover Day. That’s the last day each branch of the General Assembly has to deal with bills its members sponsor. If they don’t get a vote by then, they’re dead.

The fee was in a bill by Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax. He proposed raising the charge for state inspections of cars and trucks to $20 from the $16 set by the legislature 13 years before.

The tie was the 48-48 vote on the bill.

Steve Helber / AP

Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, right, applauds visitors during opening ceremonies at the start of the 2019 session of the Virginia General Assembly in the House chambers at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, right, applauds visitors during opening ceremonies at the start of the 2019 session of the Virginia General Assembly in the House chambers at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber / AP)

And the innocuous bill was a proposal by Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, intended to beef up the state’s child support enforcement, that was supposed to come up shortly before Hugo’s.

Here’s how the dance, choreographed hours earlier in the GOP caucus, went. For it to make sense, it pays to know there are some very good vote-counters in both party caucuses.

And what the GOP vote counters had picked up was that Hugo’s bill was endangered by the possibility of lots of Democratic votes against it.

Suddenly, it seems, there were problems — never actually specified — with Roem’s bill, which were discussed at length in caucus.

So when she heard of these mysterious issues, Roem asked for the House to temporarily delay a vote.

Hugo’s inspection fee bill came up two minutes later. Some 26 Democrats joined 22 Republican colleagues who routinely vote against any fee or tax increase, resulting in the 48-48 vote. Hugo had a tie — and a tie kills a bill.

Majority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, asked that it be reconsidered later in the day.

The House crunched through another 42 bills.

That done, it was time for Roem’s bill again. Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, moved that it be sent back to the Finance Committee he chairs.

This seemed odd, since the committee had already approved Roem’s bill by a vote of 19-3. So, for that matter had the notoriously scrupulous Courts of Justice Committee — so Roem said she was surprised there could be any questions remaining.

Majority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah then stood to ask the House to once delay considering Roem’s bill. That meant it was the turn of Hugo’s bill to be reconsidered.

Virginia House of Delegates

Del. Robert Bloxom

Del. Robert Bloxom (Virginia House of Delegates)

Del. Robert Bloxom, R-Accomac, who owns a tire and auto shop, then stood and explained that the $16 fee — even the proposed $20 one — falls far short of covering the cost of the minimum half hour of work State Police demand for inspection. The work includes removing a front wheel and a back one, as well as checking several other systems on the car or truck. Up in Northern Virginia, he noted, garages charge $100 an hour for labor.

Thinking it over — whether because of Bloxom’s eloquence or the fact that Ware’s pending motion would kill Roem’s bill — several Democrats changed their minds, and Hugo’s fee increase passed 66-30.

Then, Ware withdrew his motion and Gilbert called for a vote on Roem’s bill. It passed 58-40.